As many prominent scholars have postulated, there is very little research addressing the multifaceted dynamics with respect to Aboriginal gang involvement from a Canadian perspective. This paper intends to advance the understanding of the pathways involved in Aboriginal gang formation, recruitment and participation by critically examining the historical and institutional impediments, which have contributed to the facilitation of this phenomenon. In the process, this paper will apply the foremost tenets of social control theory in order to provide a holistic account of the context that enables the proliferation of Aboriginal gangs within Canada. Correspondingly, the formulation of these results will subsequently be useful for policy-makers and others who hope to find solutions to the challenges associated with the paramount issue of Aboriginal overrepresentation, an epidemic that the Supreme Court of Canada has referred to as, “a crisis in the Canadian justice system” (Rudin 2005, 1). With this intention, social control theory will be utilized in order to explain how colonialism manifests itself contemporarily, resulting in the inhibition of the internalization of conventional societal bonds for Aboriginal youth and the consequent perpetuation of Aboriginal gangs. Social Control Theory: Hirschi’s social control theory has been pervasively used to explain the occurrence of gangs and specifically gang membership. However, rather than focusing solely on why individuals choose to become involved in criminal behaviour including organized crime, Hirschi begins his analysis by asking, “Why do most persons conform to societal norms?” (Abadinsky 2010, 25). Consequently, according to Hirschi individuals choose to engage in delinquent behavi... ... middle of paper ... ...een family problems, address the lack of appropriate education initiatives, progress the development of adequate employment opportunities, and alleviate problematic self-conceptions of cultural identity are realistic endeavors, which support cooperative relationships across cultures. Fostering these circumstances through engagement that warrants features of social bonding to be achieved by providing support in a way that does not minimize the experience of Aboriginal oppression will facilitate positive social change. This results in the possibility of ameliorating the complex injustices experienced by Aboriginal peoples today that are entrenched in the conditions of the past. Ultimately, these positive advancements will enable the adoption of pro-social values and solidify an environment that subsequently inhibits Aboriginal youth from resorting to gang involvement.
Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall. The Justice System and Aboriginal People: Child Welfare. n.d. - n.d. - n.d. The Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission. Retrieved December 12, 2013, from http://www.ajic.mb.ca/volumel/chapter14.html.
Despite the decreasing inequalities between men and women in both private and public spheres, aboriginal women continue to be oppressed and discriminated against in both. Aboriginal people in Canada are the indigenous group of people that were residing in Canada prior to the European colonization. The term First Nations, Indian and indigenous are used interchangeably when referring to aboriginal people. Prior to the colonization, aboriginal communities used to be matrilineal and the power between men and women were equally balanced. When the European came in contact with the aboriginal, there came a shift in gender role and power control leading towards discrimination against the women. As a consequence of the colonization, the aboriginal women are a dominant group that are constantly subordinated and ignored by the government system of Canada. Thus today, aboriginal women experiences double jeopardy as they belong to more than one disadvantaged group i.e. being women and belonging to aboriginal group. In contemporary world, there are not much of a difference between Aboriginal people and the other minority groups as they face the similar challenges such as gender discrimination, victimization, and experiences injustice towards them. Although aboriginal people are not considered as visible minorities, this population continues to struggle for their existence like any other visible minorities group. Although both aboriginal men and women are being discriminated in our society, the women tends to experience more discrimination in public and private sphere and are constantly the targeted for violence, abuse and are victimized. In addition, many of the problems and violence faced by aborigin...
al, 2015; Hoffman, 2003). It suggests that interaction with others teaches individuals certain values and attitudes. Youth may encounter those that engage in problem behaviors, thus they have a greater risk to become involved in that same behavior because they have learned the values, attitudes, techniques, and motives for criminal behaviors (Monahan, Rhew, Hawkins, & et. al, 2013). Peer groups are suppose to regulate peer group activity when there is a lack of community institutions. However, these peer groups could be quite negative to the individual. Like the theory states, those peers that involve themselves in criminal behavior will most likely cause the individual to follow in their footsteps. These types of peer groups are said to be found in high risk neighborhoods because there is a lack of surveillance and discipline due to financial instability. And peer groups tend to pressure other to join in on their delinquent behavior. No one wants to be the person left behind or made fun of for not being “man” enough to join them. So, unfortunately, individuals are forced into the situation that their peers involve themselves in, whether that be gang banging, selling drugs, or robbing a
Aboriginal people groups depended on an assortment of unmistakable approaches to sort out their political frameworks and establishments prior to contact with Europeans. Later, a considerable amount of these establishments were overlooked or legitimately stifled while the national government endeavored to force a uniform arrangement of limitlessly distinctive Euro-Canadian political goals on Aboriginal social orders. For some Aboriginal people groups, self-government is seen as an approach to recover control over the administration of matters that straightforwardly influence them and to safeguard their social characters. Self-government is alluded to as an inherent right, a previous right established in Aboriginal people groups' long occupation
Both males and females amongst the aboriginals are overrepresented in the various levels of secured custody. However, based on the enormity of the native involvement in the Canadian Penal System, there have been a number of commissions meant to resolve the dilemma regarding the aboriginal people (Crnovich 2005 : 8). While both the premises of the aboriginal and also the contemporary models related to justice have been identified as being mu...
The gross over representation of indigenous people in the Australian criminal justice system (CJS) is so disturbingly evident that it is never the source of debate. Rather it is the starting point of discussions centring on the source and solutions to this prominent social, cultural and political issue. Discourse surrounds not only the economic and social disadvantage of indigenous communities, but also the systemic racism and continuing intergenerational trauma resulting for the unjust colonisation of a nation which has profited whites at the detriment to indigenous people throughout history. In respect to the currently CJS, trepidations are raised by indigenous communities around the lack of culturally diverse laws and punishments within the system. The overtly western system does not provide a viable space for indigenous
The education of Aboriginal people is a challenge that has been a concern for many years and is still an issue. However, it remains the best way young people can climb out of poverty. With the colonialization and the oppression of Aboriginals, there have been many lasting side effects that continue to be affecting the Aboriginal youth today. “While retention and graduation rates have improved among urban Aboriginal population, an educational gap still remains between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth in urban settings” (Donovan, 127). Many suffer from a diminished self-worth, as they do not feel valued and feel inferior to their classmates. In this essay I am going to outline the reasons Aboriginals are struggling, discuss what is being done
Theriot, Matthew T., and Barbara “Sunshine” Parke. "Native American Youth Gangs." Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice 5.4 (2008): 83-97. Print.
Indigenous Australian youth still face many challenges evolving into mature men and women in present contemporary Australian society despite the formal acknowledgment of equality. In this essay, it will be identified of how Indigenous Aboriginal youth continue to be affected by white dominant Australian culture including experienced marginalisation, oppression and stereotyping of their culture and beliefs, and the continued affect of connection and interdependence
(2011), Hirschi’s theory of social control summarized people follow the law and obey regulations because of social bonds surrounding them. He broke the social bonds down into four separate categories: attachment, commitment, involvement, and beliefs. Thomas Robertson experienced very weak social bonds throughout his life. Attachment refers to the people around an individual which would defer said individual from committing crime in order to keep their ties with their peers. Unfortunately, we see Thomas had a weak social bond with proper influences in society; rather, he insisted on making friends with deviant people in order to create any sort of bond. Commitment refers to how much desire an individual has to be successful with conventional activities such as finishing education. Thomas, at one point was interested in school, however, ridicule and harsh treatment belittled his commitments, resulting in him giving up on school. Involvement addresses how much time an individual spends on conventional activities such as school and work. Thomas dropped out of school in grade 11 and never had a job to make money. In order to get what he wanted, he resorted to criminal activities. Finally, Thomas’s beliefs of what was right and wrong were skewed by his environment, and he found himself believing conventional law was wrong, and his gang lessons were
Theory In 1990, Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi presented a theory that claimed to explain all types of crime and delinquency. The main concept in the theory is low self-control. The self-control theory not only attempts to explain why individuals engage in criminal acts, but rather why individuals choose to conform to conventional norms. It is not a theory of crime causation, but rather a theory of pro-social behavior used so often by sociologists and criminologists to better explain deviance and criminality (Bernard, Snipes, and Gerould, 2010). Before delving deeper into the self-control theory’s origins, Hirschi had already made great strides when studying delinquent behavior long before partnering with Gottfredson.
Our focus is to reintegrate Aboriginal Youth Gang members back into conventional society. Each youth will focus on themselves, regain values and become accustom to their culture, spirituality, and community. A large portion of youth gangs members in Canada are 22% Aboriginal. In addition, Aboriginal people are three times more likely to be been victimized. “Social interventions included counseling, crisis intervention, gang homicide intervention, job placement, and family, school, and special education, programs and services. There also was notable improvement in residents’ perceptions of gang crime and police effectiveness in dealing with that crime” (Howell & Wilson 2000). This existing program shows evidence and improvement in youth who
Social control theory has become one of the more widely accepted explanations in the field of criminology in its attempt to account for rates of crime and deviant behavior. Unlike theories that seek to explain why people engage in deviant behavior, social control theories approach deviancy from a different direction, questioning why people refrain from violating established norms, rules, and moralities. The theory seeks to explain how the normative systems of rules and obligations in a given society serve to maintain a strong sense of social cohesion, order and conformity to widely accepted and established norms. Central to this theory is a perspective which predicts that deviant behavior is much more likely to emerge when social constraints and bonds between the individual and rest of society are either weak or simply not present. The bonds that discourage crime are strengthened through relationships between the individual and social institutions such as the family, schools, judicial/policing systems, etc.
Aboriginal crime rate is known to be a lot higher than non-aboriginal crime rate. “The provincial crime rate (excluding reserves) at 1003 offences per 10 000 people, whereas the estimated crime rate on reserves was 1505 offences per 10 000 people”. (Aboriginal Justice Inquiry. 1999. Psychology of Criminal Behavior). By having these crime rate numbers being said, then I think this is one of the major reasons why Aboriginal people are being overrepresented. Crime defiantly has a grip on many of the aboriginal people. “Violent crime committed on reserves were eight times higher for assaults, seven times higher for sexual assault, and six times higher for homicides than rates in the rest of Canada. (Statistics Canada. 2006. Psychology of Criminal Behavior). These numbers could just be as high as they are due to discrimination of aboriginal people. There are many cases where aboriginals face discrimination because of their racial appearance. For example, I am a aboriginal person, and every time I walk into a store to shop for clothing, I ALWAYS get followed by white sales people. You can get the vibes off them, thinking you are intended to steal things. Although, not all aboriginal people steal, nor are they a bad person. Also, another example is when police officers see aboriginal people in a group in public,
THE POLICE criticism toward residents of a small inner-city Sydney suburb of Waterloo must signal the end of society and media depictions that has created an inability to deem the residents’ constant claim of police harassment and violence. It is time we should accept the grim fact that many existing attitudes towards the most disadvantaged people, Indigenous Australians, are part of this mayhem-like problem.